Depression is one of those things that seems to linger, that no matter what you do sometimes it comes back with a vengeance. Sometimes those old feelings slowly creep into your head, they start to swirl and you start to fall. Those feelings then overcome you and eventually break you. Personally, I am not a fan of medication to keep these feelings at bay. What I have learned that helps the most is to get up, get out of my own head space and get moving.
Things I personally recommend that have helped me erase the negativity and avoid the downfall really have allowed me to transform my though processes and improve my confidence in myself. One of the best things I started to do was start reading personal development. I know a lot of people think that means self help books that are sad and sappy. However, I have read several that are awesome and are straight to the point, real in fact. My favorite book that truly has been my game changer in my thought process is called "You Are A Badass" By Jen Sincero-this book is my go to. I continually go back and read it time and time again.
Another activity that I have found really easy to reflect, to erase the thoughts and keep moving forward was to get a journal. In that journal, I write down 5 things that I am grateful for right now. 5 things I feel blessed to have in my life and then I keep going. It helps to reflect on the positive and not the negative. I have made this a weekly occurrence. When you look back on your lists, you will see that what you are blessed with overshadows the current negativity that is flowing.
The best thing I have found that helps me overcome any awful situation looming is to get up and get moving. Recently, I have found a real love for taking Barre classes. For that 50 minutes, I set my intention to focus on the class, the movements, the repetitions and I do not focus on anything that creeps into my head space. Another really awesome activity that really changes my mindset is yoga. When you start to focus on your breathing, your movements, your poses you truly lose all thought processes and then suddenly 90 minutes later your class is over and your are in a better place. Lastly, I have found working out at home helps tremendously. There are those really rough days that I do not want to get out of bed, I don't want to leave the house. So I pop in a DVD and I tell myself "give it 5 minutes" if after 5 minutes I cannot focus then I shut it off....honestly I have yet to shut the DVD off it works EVERY TIME.
Other activities I feel have been beneficial to overcoming the difficult times are simple as turning on the radio or playing my favorite Pandora station. There is something about music, listening to the beats, dancing around my room and just letting it all out. Listen to your favorite album cell phone free. Unplug from your communication devices and just enjoy the music. Another way to really enjoy the music if you need to get out is yo research your local clubs and bars to see if they have any live bands. There is something about live music that calms the soul and enables you to get out of the
house and away from your stressors.
Lastly, take time to clean out your life. This could be as simple as cleaning out old contacts in your phone. Clean out the numbers of those in your past, those you don't speak to. This helps keep you from talking to someone you truly know you don't need to engage with. Take time to clean out that junk drawer and start organizing your life. A cleaner area tends to enable your mind to relax and promote a calmer environment. Take it one drawer at a time or one room at a time, but start to de-clutter your life and watch the stress dissipate.
Depression just doesn't go away on it's own it's something I had to learn to accept and learn to live with. Some days I can ignore it and some days it takes everything in my body to keep moving. I have found taking part in these activities has truly allowed me to make the change I need to keep moving forward as I learn to accept the life that has brought me to the place I am in. There is nothing wrong with feeling this way, but as I know personally it can destroy so much and erase the positive aspects of your life so quickly. So take 5 minutes to breathe, assess the situation and find a new way to keep moving, to force the negative thoughts aside. You deserve to be happy and healthy.
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